With a 3-0 start to the 2023 college football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have their sights on continuing their winning ways with the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule beginning this week against Pitt.
The Tar Heels have earned some good wins by beating South Carolina and Minnesota, while escaping an upset bid from Appalachian State. If they continue their strong play, they could find themselves in contention for the ACC title game and potentially a big bowl game.
And that’s where 247Sports’ analyst Brad Crawford has them landing in his latest bowl projections. Crawford released his projections on Monday, putting North Carolina in the Orange Bowl and facing Penn State:
Few predicted the Tar Heels to get through their challenging non-conference season without a loss, but here they are. Drake Maye hasn’t been his best yet (four touchdowns, four interceptions) and UNC is still on cruise control heading into the ACC slate. Penn State is very much capable of winning the Big Ten with an elite defense and at worst, is a likely New Year’s Six finisher this fall given the Nittany Lions’ talent level.
In the projections, he has UNC in the Orange Bowl with Florida State making the College Football Playoff. If UNC were to make the ACC title game, it would likely be against the Seminoles or the Clemson Tigers depending on what happens the rest of the way.
There’s a long way to go, but UNC appears to be trending in the right direction.
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